Peter Julian Eymard
| Peter Julian Eymard | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Apostle of the Eucharist | |
| Born |
4 February 1811 La Mure, Grenoble, France |
| Died | 1 August 1868 (aged 57) La Mure, Grenoble, France |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 12 July 1925 by Pope Pius XI |
| Canonized | 9 December 1962 by Pope John XXIII |
| Major shrine | Santi Claudio e Andrea dei Borgognoni |
| Feast | 2 August |
| Attributes | Eucharist, Monstrance, Eucharistic Adoration, Eucharistic Congress, Cope Humeral Veil Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament |
Saint Peter Julian Eymard, SSS (ɛy'mɒ), (La Mure, Grenoble, France, 4 February 1811 – La Mure, 1 August 1868) was a French Catholic priest, founder of two religious institutes, Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers and Brothers and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament
Eymard was born 4 February 1811 at La Mure, Isère in the French Alps. His father was a smith whose second wife was Julian's mother. All his life Peter Julian (or Pierre-Julien in French) had an intense devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. Before his first communion on 16 March 1823, he went on foot to the shrine of Notre-Dame du Laus. Later, he came to know about the apparition of Notre-Dame de La Salette and enjoyed traveling to various Marian shrines throughout France.
When his mother died in 1828 Julian resolved to enter the novitiate of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and, despite his father's opposition, did so in June 1822. His first attempt as a seminarian ended because of serious illness. Throughout his life, Eymard suffered from poor health, particularly ‘weakness of the lungs’ and migraine.
After his father's death in 1831, he succeeded with the help of his former superior in gaining admission to the major seminary of the Grenoble diocese. On 20 July 1834, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grenoble. He was assigned assistant pastor at the town of Chatte, and three years later, appointed pastor of Mount Saint-Eynard.
On his second assignment at Monteynard, the parish, which had a dilapidated church and poor rectory, consisted of a farming community with few people attending Mass. There had not been a regular pastor there for some time. The bishop urged Father Eymard's two sisters to move with him to the rectory, which they did. In fact, they furnished the rectory, for the parish was very poor. Although Eymard is known to have revitalized the place, he was dissatisfied with parish work, and decided to join the Marists (the Society of Mary). His two sisters were quite devastated as they had dedicated their lives to serving him.
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